


Is Everything Rebuilt?

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown First Series [18]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-04-19
Updated: 2006-04-19
Packaged: 2019-06-26 04:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15655344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: LazyTown might be almost rebuilt after the tornado but some relationships have begun to suffer. Or is there something more sinister going on?  Song included is Goodbye My Lover by James BluntAs a heads up - Stephanie is a little older and Sportacus is a little younger.





	1. Chapter 1

**June 5, 2022 at 7:00 am**

          “Good morning, LazyTown!  It’s a balmy 75 degrees out and the temperatures are going climb again today as the heat wave continues.  Those of you with breathing or skin problems are encouraged to stay indoors with air conditioning.  That goes for those of you that are elderly too.  But enough talk let’s get back to some music.  You’re listening to WWSD 98.6 FM.” 

          Samantha’s hand smacked the alarm button shutting the radio off.  Immediately she regretted doing this as she could hear her parents arguing again.  They had been like this for the past few weeks and it was beginning to get on her nerves.  In fact, the ten year old wasn’t even sure what they were arguing about anymore.  

          She grabbed up some clean clothes from her closet and made her way down to the bathroom.  Once inside she locked the door and hoped that would quiet the shouting but of course she was wrong.  Quickly, she stripped, threw her clothes in the laundry basket, and jumped into the shower.

          About thirty minutes later, Samantha was ready for school even though it didn’t start until nine.  It only took twenty-five minutes to walk there so she had a little over an hour.  Strangely, it was quiet in the house and she thought that maybe her parents had settled their differences.  Not wanting to jinx it, she climbed up the tube and out. 

          Walking along she noticed that the slight breeze was not helping the heat situation but she was almost to Joshua’s apartment so she quickened her pace.  Luckily the apartment building was air-conditioned and she breathed a little easier.  Knocking on the door, Samantha waited for someone to answer it.

          “Good morning, Sam!”  Stephanie smiled as she opened the door.  “Pretty hot out, huh?”

          “Yes it is.”  She answered.  Stephanie saw the look on her face.

          “Oh, honey have they been arguing again?”  She asked wrapping her arms around her niece.  Samantha nodded as tears ran down her cheeks.  She wasn’t fooling anyone including herself about not being upset.

          Sportacus heard the sobbing and hobbled out to the kitchen.  He was out of his casts for almost a month and a half but his speed still hadn’t gotten up to where it was before the tornado. 

          “Is everything ok?”  He asked.  He saw Samantha crying and knew immediately what was wrong.  Without another word, he went out the apartment door.  The above average hero couldn’t take seeing his niece cry.

          Joshua came out of the bathroom and saw the scene before him.  Quickly he went over to Samantha and his mother.  Stephanie saw him and let him take Samantha into his arms.  She then went into the kitchen.

          “Samantha, it’s going to be ok.”  Joshua said wiping the tears from her cheeks.  “We survived the twister and we can survive this.”  She nodded but wasn’t sure if she believed him. 

          “I’m sorry.”  She said.

          “For what?”  He asked. 

          “For crying like a baby.”  Samantha told him. 

          “Are you kidding?  I’d rather have you cry than keep it inside; besides my shirt needed to be washed again anyway.”  Joshua smiled.  For the first time this morning, Samantha smiled. 

          “See that’s all I needed.”  He told her.

          “Here Sam.”  Stephanie said handing her a cup of her favorite drink, chocolate milk.

          “Thanks Aunt Stephanie.”  She said. 

          “You’re welcome.  After you finish, we’ll get you all cleaned up for school.”  Stephanie smiled.  She hoped that Sportacus was having good luck with Robbie and Amanda. 


	2. Chapter 2

Sportacus walked into the ex-lair through the side entrance.  He could hear Robbie and Amanda arguing.  The above-average hero made his way to Samantha’s room.  It was then he heard the arguing stop.

          “Sportacus, what are you doing?”  Amanda asked a little confused.

          “I’m here to gather some things for Sam.”  He said simply and went about his business.

          “What?”  Amanda couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Sportacus didn’t say anything and continued to put clothes into Samantha’s suitcase.  Amanda tried to stop him but that wasn’t about to happen.  She ran out of the room and grabbed Robbie.

          “Sportacus, you can’t.”  Robbie said.

          “I can and I will.  I don’t know about you but I can’t take seeing Samantha upset.  She comes over and cries.  Stephanie, Joshua, and I can’t take it anymore.  We can’t watch her fall apart like that.  So until you figure out what is wrong; we’re going to take care of her.  You have left us no other choice.”  The above average hero told his friends.  Amanda and Robbie didn’t have a response.

          “She’s our daughter.  You can’t…”  Robbie started.

          “Yes, she is your daughter but if we don’t intervene, Samantha will push you away.  Do you want that?  Do you want your daughter to not tell you important things?  Do you not want her to be around?  I don’t want to see that happen.  I’m sure right now she feels like you’ve abandoned her because you’ve been so wrapped up in your own problems.  So until you’ve figured out what’s wrong, my family and I will not put her in harm’s way.  When you’re ready to talk, we’ll be there.”  Sportacus told them.  With that he pushed by his two dumbstruck friends and walked out of the house. 

          Samantha and Joshua were already gone when he returned home.  Carefully he set down the suitcase and collapsed on the sofa.  His bones ached and his blood pressure had gone up. 

          “Sportacus?”  Stephanie said coming back down the hall.  “Are you ok, baby?”  The above average hero shook his head.

          “What’s the suitcase for?”  She asked.

          “It’s for Sam.  Can you call the high school and talk to Joshua?  Tell him to bring Sam home with him.  She’s going to be staying here awhile.”  Sportacus explained.  Stephanie’s eyes went wide.

          “She’s going to stay here?  What did Amanda and Robbie say?”  She asked her husband. 

          “They objected, of course, but I told them that until they got their act together, we had no choice.  I guess the strangest thing was that they didn’t put up more of a fight.  I mean, I go into their house and take some of their daughter’s things and they didn’t fight me tooth and nail for her.”  The above average hero said.

          “You don’t think that there is something really serious that they aren’t telling us about, do you?”  Stephanie wondered.  Sportacus shrugged his shoulders. 

          “My crystal hasn’t gone off.  Joshua hasn’t said anything.  I just don’t know.”  He answered.

          Robbie and Amanda sat on the couch in their house.  They had hoped that their odd behavior had been enough to make Sportacus do something.  The doorbell rang and Robbie jumped up.  As fast as he could the ex-villain ran to the side entrance.

A menacing man stood on stoop.  “I’ll get right down to business.  Can I come in?”  That was more like an order than a request and Robbie let him in. 

          “Ah good, your wife is here too.  Here are your instructions.  Remember if they aren’t followed to the letter, someone you love will die.  As always its been a pleasure.”  With that the man turned and left the house.  Robbie’s hands were trembling as he opened the envelope. 


	3. Chapter 3

**June 5, 2022 at 3:00 pm**

          Samantha walked out of school as the buses pulled away.  She was dreading going home but there wasn’t much else she could do. 

          “Samantha!”  Someone shouted behind her and she turned around.  Her face lit up when she saw it was Joshua.  

          “I’m so happy to see you.”  The ten year old said as she wrapped her arms around him.  

          “I’m happy to see you too.  Come on.  Lets go home.”  He said.  Immediately, Sam’s face fell. 

          “Oh sorry.  I meant my house.”  Joshua said.

          “You’re house?”  She asked.

          “Yeah, your parents said you could stay over for dinner.”  The sixteen year old said.  His mother had told him not to tell her what was going on but he felt he had to; he just wasn’t sure how.

          “Great!  Lets go!”  Samantha’s mood perked up.  The two friends made their way to Joshua’s.  The two were having a good time but as they got closer, Joshua became silent. 

          “What’s wrong?”  Samantha asked.

          “There is something I have to tell you.”  He said.

          “Ok.  Tell me.”  She replied.  Joshua took a deep breath.  He felt that he had to be the one to tell her.  Samantha waited patiently for him to explain what was going on but Joshua couldn’t seem to find the right words.

          “I have no idea how I’m going to tell you this but…”  his father cut him off.

          “Hi Sam!  Good to see Joshua was able to catch up to you.  Come on in kids.”  Sportacus said.

          “Hi Uncle Sportacus.”  Samantha said.  She was beginning to get curious as to why everyone seemed to be in edge.  The three walked into the apartment to find Stephanie already busy trying to fix dinner.

          “Hey Mom let me help you.”  Joshua smiled and came over to his mother.

          “Why thank you dear.  I had to make dinner a little early tonight because my dance class starts at six.”  Stephanie explained.

          “Huh?”  Joshua asked.

          “Your father didn’t tell you?  Miss Hess called me today and said that she hurt her ankle and that she needed someone to cover her lesson tonight.  She’s going to see Dr. Better and hopefully its not too serious.”  Stephanie explained.

          “That’s great!  Well I mean for you not for Miss Hess.  How is this Dr. Better anyway?”  Joshua wondered.

          “He’s pretty good, if you don’t mind my intrusion.”  Samantha said.  “When I sliced my leg just after the tornado, he did a good job of helping me out.”

          “I guess I just miss Dr. Feels Good, may he rest in peace.”  Stephanie said.

          “All right enough moping and get cooking.  I’m hungry.”  Sportacus said from the living room.  Stephanie smiled and left Joshua to watch the pot of sauce on the stove.

“Oh really.  Well if you need to eat that badly why don’t you have some sports candy?  Its been sitting on the kitchen table for three days and no one has touched it.”  She said.

          “Sports candy _boring_.”  Sportacus smiled.  While his parents played around in the living room Joshua took the opportunity to talk to Samantha.

          “Listen,” he said as he stirred the sauce and she stirred the noodles “My dad went over to your house and grabbed a few things for you.  You and I are going to share my room for a few days.”

          “Really?”  Samanatha wondered. 

          “Yeah.  It’ll be fun.  We’ll still go to school together and all that but you get to hang out here and…” she stopped him.

          “You’re burning the sauce.”  Joshua’s eyes went wide and he quickly turned to heat off. 

          “Oops.”  He smiled.  Samanatha got close to him and whispered into his ear.

          “You don’t have to sugar-coat it for me.  I understand.”  Joshua looked at her.  She was amazingly tough for someone her age but he couldn’t be sure if she was trying to be brave or what.  The mixed signals she was sending were confusing him.


	4. Chapter 4

Later that evening, while Joshua and Samantha were doing their homework, Sportacus was doing his strengthening exercises.  The quiet was broken by the above average hero’s crystal.  Immediately, Sportacus was up on his feet and out the door.  Joshua got up and went to the window to see his father run towards the center of town.

          “What is it?”  Samantha asked after seeing the strange look on his face.

          “I don’t know.  I mean I feel that something is wrong but not something my dad would usually handle.”  Joshua explained. 

          “Should we call your mom?”  Samantha asked. 

          “No, she’ll be home soon.  Lets just get back to our homework.”  Joshua said.  The two sat back down at the kitchen table and continued to work on their homework. 

          Sportacus arrived on the scene to find the police already there.  They looked at him incredibly confused.

          “I think you must have your signals crossed.”  Captain Dogooder came up to his friend.

          “I don’t understand why my crystal would have gone off for a bank robbery.”  Sportacus said shaking the Captain’s hand.

          “Well I don’t see the harm in taking through what we think happened.  Come on.”  Dogooder walked with Sportacus through the crime scene tape and headed inside the Bank of LazyTown. 

          “What do we have O’Callaghan?”  The Police Chief asked. 

          “Well Chief it looks like whoever broke in here were definitely not professionals.  They were able to pick the lock on the outside doors rather easily using a bobby pin.  However when they reached the safe, they used _way_ too much explosive.”  The detective explained as he pointed out the damage done to the safe door.  The door had an incredibly large hole in it and the lock was missing.

          “I can see that.  How much do you think they used?”  Captain Dogooder asked. 

          “Well from the specifications I was given the door was 5 inches thick and made from steel.  Now to destroy an 8 inch steel beam you would use anywhere from 8 pounds to 10 pounds of C-4.  Being only five inches and not a beam they maybe should have used a pound to get the lock.  However the forensic guys think he might have used two, two and a half pounds.”  O’Callaghan explained.

          “Where did they get that much explosive?”  Sportacus asked.

          “Don’t know, but for being inexperienced with it I don’t know how they would’ve known where to even look.”  The detective said.

          “What about the video cameras?”  Captain Dogooder asked. 

          “They show that there were two assailants both were wearing masks.  So far we’ve estimated that they escaped with just under a million dollars.”  O’Callaghan said.  Captain Dogooder thanked the detective and walked with Sportacus back towards the entrance of the bank.

          “I don’t know if you can help with this situation but…”  the Police Chief stopped.

          “I have some connections.  Let me see what I can do.”  Sportacus offered.  The two friends shook hands and Sportacus started for home.  The whole incident bothered him.  His crystal went off yet no one was in trouble.  What was going on?

          Stephanie walked in the door to find Joshua and Samantha sitting on the couch watching TV.  Samantha’s head was on his shoulder and the two were holding hands. 

          “Hi guys.  Homework done?”  She asked.  The two practically jumped out of their skin.

          “Uh yeah.  How did the dance lesson go?”  Joshua asked. 

          “Pretty well.  The students are very good and I had a lot of fun.  Where is your father?”  Stephanie asked.

          “His crystal went off about an hour ago.  I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”  Joshua smiled.

          “Well I’m going to hop into the shower.  You guys can finish watching TV.”  She said.

          “I guess our secret is out.”  Samanatha said after her aunt went down the hall.  Joshua smiled and pulled her close.

          “I’m just glad you’re here with me.  Why don’t we get my room set up for bed?”  He suggested.  Samanatha nodded and the two walked down the hall to his room. 


	5. Chapter 5

Sportacus had come in a few minutes after the kids had gone down the hall and Joshua rushed back out to talk with his father.  Both had had strange feelings about what was going on and the sooner they discussed it the better.  The above average hero pulled his son down the hall into the bedroom and closed the door.

          Father and son discussed the whole turn of events.  Joshua said that he didn’t quite understand why he sensed that he knew the people involved but he didn’t see how that was possible.  Sportacus said that could be why his crystal went off but the police had no leads and no suspects at that time.  It was all very confusing to them.

* * *

          Robbie and Amanda sat in the living room.  They hadn’t spoken to each other for the past hour.  Finally the silence was broken by a knock on their door. 

          Quickly, Robbie got up and answered it.  The menacing man from earlier stood on the other side of the door.  No words were exchanged as two other men entered with him.  Robbie led the three men down to the living room.  There the three men retrieved some bags that said “Property of the Bank of LazyTown”. 

          “Mr. and Mrs. Rotten, we thank you for doing the dirty work but I’m afraid the boss requires you to do one more task.”  The intimidating man said.

          “That wasn’t part of the deal, Joe.”  Robbie argued. 

          “I don’t think you understand the consequences.  You do what the boss tells you or...” he motioned for one of his big burly associates to show them just exactly what they meant.  The enforcer grabbed Robbie by the throat and began to squeeze.

“Don’t hurt him!  We’ll do what you want!”  Amanda shouted.  Joe cocked his head and the enforcer dropped Robbie.  Amanda rushed down to him to make sure he was all right.

          “Do as we say.  Here are your instructions.”  Joe flung the envelope down at the two.  He snapped his fingers and the two enforcers grabbed up the moneybags.  With that the three mobsters left the building.  

* * *

          It was now ten-thirty as Joshua entered his bedroom.  He was tired and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.  Taking off his shirt, the sixteen year old grabbed a play shirt from his dresser and started to crawl into his sleeping bag. 

          Making himself comfy, Joshua was about to fall asleep when he heard something.  At first, he wasn’t sure what it was.  But then he realized that the bump in his bed was moving.  The sixteen year old pulled himself back out of the sleeping bag and went over to his bed. 

          He made a slight frown when he saw that Samantha had buried herself under the covers.  Not even her head stuck out above them.  Bending over he lifted the covers just enough to see her eyes.  They were wet and he saw the pain in them. 

          “Maybe I should’ve knocked first.”  Joshua said trying to make her smile.  There was a slight smile but something told Joshua that making her smile wasn’t going to be enough.  He motioned for her to scoot over.  Once she’d done that he climbed into the bed. 

          Carefully, he pulled her up so that her head came out onto the pillow.  Then he wrapped his arms around her.  Samantha snuggled close to him.  Joshua was warm and safe.  Even if she couldn’t trust her parents, she could always trust him.

          “Don’t worry things will be ok.  I’m sure that your parents will work out whatever is going on.  They love you too much not to.”  Joshua whispered to her as he stroked her brown hair. 

          “Mmhnwnum.”  Came a muffled reply.

          “Pardon?  I don’t think I caught that.”  Joshua joked.  Samantha pulled her face away from his chest.

          “Promise me one thing?”  She asked.

          “Anything, you know that.”  He said giving her a squeeze.

          “Don’t sugarcoat stuff.  Tell it to me straight.  I know you are just trying to protect me but I rather spent the night with you like this than spending it thinking everything is ok.”  Samantha told him.

          “If that’s what you want then I’ll do it.  Besides I like this too.”  Joshua promised.  “Come on.  Lets get some sleep.  Tomorrow is back to school.”  He kissed her forehead and kept Samantha close.  Smiles crossed their faces as they fell asleep in each other’s arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**June 6, 2022 at 9:00 am**

          Amanda held Robbie close.  He had fallen asleep only a little while ago and his throat was still very red.  They had been lucky that the enforcer hadn’t done that much damage. 

          Her thoughts then reverted to Samantha.  She was glad that their daughter hadn’t been there last night.  Questions still ran through her mind.  How did they get tangled up in this mess?  What were they going to do to get out of it?  How were they going to avoid prison time?  What would happen to Samantha if they did go to prison?

          Looking around the room, she noticed the envelope on the floor.  It hadn’t moved from its spot last night.  Robbie had argued that this second job wasn’t part of the deal.  Amanda wasn’t sure what he had meant and she wondered how he’d met someone like Joe.  Carefully she got up and went over to the envelope. 

          Picking it up, she questioned whether she should open it without Robbie.  Curiosity got the better of her and Amanda opened the envelope.  Pulling out the letter inside, she read the instructions.

  _“You will find what you need down at the LazyTown Library.  Ask the librarian for a book called ‘Cement and You’.  From there follow the next set of instructions.”_

           Amanda reread the note a few times.  Then she went down the hall and hopped into the shower.  Once she was clean, she made sure Robbie was comfortable and went to look at a book.

          Stephanie called Trixie, knowing that she’d be at school but she really needed to talk to her.  The secretary passed her call to the vice-principal’s office and Stephanie heard her friend pick up the phone.

          “This is Trixie.”  Her friend said.

          “Trixie, it's Stephanie.  Have you heard from Amanda lately?” 

          “No, I haven’t.  Why what’s going on?”  Trixie asked.  Stephanie then proceeded to tell her about yesterday. 

          “They’ve been arguing and now Sam is at your place?  What do you suppose is going on over there?”  Trixie wondered.

          “I don’t know.  I’ve tried to call but no one picks up the phone.  I’m worried.”  Stephanie said.

          “I think we should get over there and check things out.”  Trixie replied.

           “How are we going to do that?  You’re at work.”  Stephanie reminded her.

          “No worries.  I’ll tell Principal Swartz that I have a family emergency and I’ll come over as quick as I can.  Where is Sportacus anyway?”  Trixie asked.

          “He went away on business for the day.  I can’t really discuss it over the phone.”  Stephanie explained.  Trixie didn’t bother to ask and promised she’d be right over.  The two friends got off the phone and Trixie quickly went to the Principal.

          About twenty minutes later, she arrived at Stephanie’s apartment.  The two took off towards Robbie’s and Amanda’s.  They had to do something for their friends.

* * *

          Amanda entered the library and went up to the head librarian.  The lady was kind enough to hand the book right over to her.

          “I take it you and Robbie are working on a new invention?”  She asked.

          “Yeah; we just need to see if concrete is the right stuff for the job.”  Amanda lied.

          “Well have fun.”  The librarian said as she checked out the book.

          “Oh we will.”  Amanda faked a smile and thanked her.  Then she walked back out of the library and back towards home.                        


	7. Chapter 7

**June 6, 2022 at 12:00 pm**

          Sportacus sat in a large comfy chair inside Wayne Manor.  Alfred had told him that Bruce would be back from his meeting around noon and that if he wanted the above average hero could wait in the library.  Sportacus thanked the butler and now waited for his friend to arrive.  

          The above average hero continued to read a copy of the report from the bank robbery that Captain Dogooder had given him.  The details were confusing as were the circumstances.  He hoped that Bruce could help him. 

          “Mr. Scheving, Master Wayne is here.”  Alfred said walking into the library.

          “Thank you Alfred and please you can call me Magnus.”  The above average hero said.  Alfred nodded and Bruce walked into the library.

          “So what brings you all the way out to Gotham?”  His friend asked.

          “Disturbing news from LazyTown, I’m afraid.  I’m sorry if I intruded in some of your business plans.”  Sportacus said shaking Bruce’s hand.

          “Wayne Industries is perfectly capable of handling themselves for the afternoon.  What’s going on?”  Bruce asked.

          “Last night around 7:30 pm, the Bank of LazyTown was robbed.  Normally I wouldn’t get involved in something like this but things got a little strange.”  The above average hero explained.  Bruce nodded and he continued.

          “As you know I usually only handle when someone is in physical danger, well last night my son and I had some strange feelings.”  Bruce stopped him.

          “Your son has that special ability right?  To sense what’s going on?” 

          “Yes.  That’s why I thought I should bring this to you.  My crystal went off as well and neither he nor I can figure out why.  That and I don’t know much about bank robberies.”  Sportacus explained.

          “Can I see the report?  Bruce asked.  The above average hero handed him the folder.  Bruce read through the file and wrinkled his brow a few times. 

          “Do you have a copy of the security tapes?”  He asked.

          “Captain Dogooder was nice enough to make copies.”  Sportacus smiled and he handed them over.  Bruce nodded and walked over to the piano.  Pressing a few keys, the wall opened up and the two men walked through the passage into the elevator.

          Down inside the Cave, Bruce stuck the first tape into the player.  The video pulled up on a large screen connected to a computer.  With the image blown up, Bruce and Sportacus watched the video. 

          “Amateurs for sure but there is something strange about their behavior.  They paid no attention to the cameras, yet they wore gloves and ski masks.  One is obviously a female and the other a male.  According to the report, they picked the lock on the door with a bobby pin to avoid detection and then blew the door apart to get at the money.  How did they get away before the police got there?”  Bruce asked.

          “That’s on the next tape.”  Sportacus said and handed the second tape over.  Bruce removed the other tape and stuck the other in.

          “This is the tape from the ATM out front.”  The above average hero explained.  They watched as the two robbers ran away from the scene.  This completely surprised Bruce.  In all his years of crime fighting, this had to be one of the weirdest things.

          “How much did they get away with?”  He asked.

          “According to the bank $900,000.”  Sportacus said.

          “They carried to their bags full of money to their hideout?”  Bruce shook his head.  “They had to have help.  Two newbies do not break into a bank and run home with their loot.  Those four bags would have been heavy.”  Sportacus was about to say something when Bruce started entering commands into the computer.  He then pulled up a few files onto the computer screen.

          “These are some cases that I dealt with a few years back.  Newbies robbing banks and then their crimes escalated to murder.  I was able to prove the mob was involved but before the police could make any arrests the bastards disappeared.  From the looks of things they’ve resurfaced in LazyTown.”  Bruce explained.

          “Will I need Batman to help solve the case?”  Sportacus asked.

          “Batman will go where he is needed.  You still have that button right?”  Bruce asked.  Sportacus pulled the device from his pocket.

          “Good.  Now how are you getting back to LazyTown?”  He asked.

          “I have a flight out of Gotham International in about an hour.”  Sportacus said. 

          “Want to get back faster?”  A smile crossed Bruce’s face.  


	8. Chapter 8

Back in LazyTown, Stephanie and Trixie sat in the living room trying to figure out what to do.  They had tried until quarter after ten to get into their friend’s house but she wouldn’t let them in.  So for the past two hours the friends talked and tried to see what they were going to do. 

          Stephanie made them some sandwiches and they ate lunch in silence.  Then the phone rang and Stephanie picked it up.

          “Hi, this is Molly the librarian.  Is Sportacus there?” 

          “No, he isn’t.  This is Stephanie.  Is everything ok?”

          “Well I have something strange happening around here I think he should know about.”  Molly said.

          “What’s going on?”  Stephanie asked.

          “Well yesterday I received a call from a man claiming to be Robbie Rotten and requesting the book ‘Cement and You’.  When I asked him what kind of invention he was working on, he didn’t answer me right away and then made up something about building a deck.  I know that Mr. Rotten’s place isn’t really fit for a deck.

          “Then this morning, Amanda Rotten stops by to pick the book up and she holding the book in her hands and says concrete not cement.  She’s an engineer she wouldn’t mess that up.  I have the feeling that something strange is going on.”  Molly finished explaining. 

          “I’ll pass that along.  Thanks for calling.”  Stephanie said.  Then she hung up the phone.

          “What’s up?”  Trixie asked.  Her friend proceeded to explain the phone call. 

          “That’s weird.”  The vice-principal said.  Stephanie was about to respond when the front door opened and in walked her husband.  She went over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

          “I think I have a lead to Amanda and Robbie’s behavior.”  She said.  Sportacus gave her a kiss but didn’t respond.  The two walked over to Trixie. 

          “Well the hero returns from his business trip.  How’s life Sporty?”  Trixie asked.  The look on his face was strange.  Suddenly he ran to the bathroom.  Stephanie was concerned and followed him.

          “Never again.”  She heard him mumble in between retching.  Confused, she went over to him and rubbed his back.

          “You going to be ok?”  Stephanie asked.  He nodded and leaned against the bathtub. 

          “I don’t know how he does it.  That plane goes really fast.”  Instantly, Stephanie knew who he was talking about. 

          “Everything ok?”  Trixie asked. 

          “I’ll be fine.”  Sportacus said.  Stephanie smiled and pulled Trixie out to the living room so her husband could clean himself up.

          “Listen I’ll go back to Amanda’s try to get her to open up.  You get Sporty up to speed.”  Trixie said. 

          “Good.  We’ll be over soon.”  Stephanie promised.  With that her friend went out the door.  Sportacus came out of the bathroom and sat down on the couch.  His legs immediately began to twitch.

          “I thought you stopped twitching.”  Stephanie smiled.                                               

“Nope.  I gotta move but first I have to explain everything.”  Sportacus said.  He told Stephanie all about what he and Bruce discussed then she explained what the librarian told her.  The two thought about the circumstances. 

          “My crystal went off and Joshua felt strange.  Bruce tells me that after bank robbing the crimes escalate to murder and then you tell me they took a book out of the library entitled ‘Cement and You’.  I hate to say it but everything seems to be pointing to Robbie and Amanda.  We have to stop them before they carry out the next step.”  Sportacus said.

          “That’s why they were arguing.  In a way they did that so we’d get Samantha out of the house.”  Stephanie replied. 

          “We got Samantha out but can we get them out?”  Sportacus asked.

* * *

          Amanda sat rereading the note she found inside the cement book.  Robbie couldn’t believe the next task they had to undertake.

  _“Your next task to complete is the successful capture and murder of Captain Dogooder.”_


	9. Chapter 9

**June 6, 2022 at 7:00 pm**

          “We don’t have a choice.”  Amanda argued.  Something had to be done about their next task and killing Captain Dogooder wasn’t an option.

          “You heard those guys.  If we tell anyone they’ll kill us.”  Robbie refreshed her memory. 

          “Could you live with someone else’s murder on your hands?  What if we get caught?  Could you live leaving Samantha all alone for the rest of her life?”  Amanda raised some interesting questions. 

          “No, I couldn’t let that happen but can we tell Sportacus and be sure that we won’t get killed ourselves?”  Robbie wondered.

          “I don’t see any other option.”  Amanda said slumping down onto the sofa next to her husband.  He wrapped his left arm around her and pulled her close.

          “How did this happen?”  He asked.  The fact of the matter was he knew darn well how this had happened. 

One day in the middle of May, while he was working in the invention room, there was a knock on the door.  He answered it only to find three large muscular men on the other side.  They forced their way in and told him what he was going to do for them.  Unfortunately, Amanda had returned from the post office while they were “discussing” things and they dragged her into it as well.  Both were threatened that if they didn’t cooperate, Samantha would have an “accident”.    

Robbie’s criminal past had caught up with him.  The mobsters had found out that he had once been the biggest criminal in LazyTown and decided who better to take the fall for the dirty deeds they wanted done.  Now they both were in a sticky situation.

          “We’d better go and see if we can get a hold of Sportacus.”  Robbie sighed.  Amanda got up off the couch and made a phone call.

          “Hey Stephanie, this is Amanda.”

          “Amanda, its so good to hear from you.  We have…”

          “There’s no time.  Volō tu supervenire.”  Was all Amanda said and then she hung up.  Stephanie was puzzled.  Why would her friend use Latin?  Then something occurred to her.  Maybe she was afraid of who was listening to the conversation.  Quickly, she ran down the hall and pulled out her Latin to English dictionary from under her dresser.  Amanda had taught some basic Latin to her for when they wanted to talk about birthday presents and such.

          Stephanie thumbed through the pages and came upon what she was looking for.  Translating aloud she said,

          “Volō means ‘I wish’, tu means ‘you’, and suprvenire means ‘to come over’.  So literally ‘I wish you to come over’.”  Quickly, Stephanie raced back down the hallway.  She wrote a note to Joshua and Samantha telling them that she and Sportacus wouldn’t be gone long. 

          Stephanie left the apartment and raced toward the airship.  Her husband was talking to Batman over the protected computer terminal.  She caught him as he was coming down off the ladder.

          “We have to get over to Robbie and Amanda’s right away.”  No further explanation was needed and Sportacus and Stephanie raced toward their friend’s house.  They had been waiting for this chance.  Now all that was left to do was to find out how deep their friends were in.

          The couple arrived at the ex-lair and they didn’t even have a chance to knock when Robbie opened the door and pulled them inside.  In complete silence he led them down to the living room.

          “We need to talk.”  Robbie said finally as they took seats on the couch and the comfy orange fuzzy chair.

          “I know.  Let me guess.  You guys are the ones that robbed the bank and now they want you to kill someone.”  Sportacus spilled. 


	10. Chapter 10

Robbie and Amanda’s jaws dropped.  They hadn’t expected the above average hero to know what was going on.

          “How did you…”

          “I talked to a friend of mine and he matched the bank robbery’s MO to some other cases.  So who do you guys have to eliminate?”  Sportacus said interrupting Robbie.

          “Captain Dogooder.”  Amanda said flatly.  Silence once again enveloped the room.  Sportacus stood up and began to pace around the sofa.  He needed to think and moving around was the best way to do it for him. 

          “Wait a minute.  There is nothing to connect you to the robbery right?”  Stephanie piped up for the first time.

          “What do you mean?”  Robbie asked.

          “Well, there are no fingerprints or DNA.  You wore masks so there is no way for anyone to make a possible photo ID.  The only people you can link you to the crime are the guys who put you up to it.”  Stephanie told them.

          “So its our word against theirs.”  Amanda smiled this was the first bit of good news all day. 

          “But how do we catch them?  I mean we still have to somehow get them.”  Robbie wondered.

          “We set a trap.”  Sportacus told him. 

* * *

          Joshua and Samantha arrived at the apartment and let themselves in.  They had gone to the movies to have a good time.  Joshua had hoped that the movie would get Samantha’s mind off her parents.

          Seeing a note on the kitchen table, he went over and read it.  It seemed strange that his mother hadn’t said where they were.  Then a thought occurred to him.  Maybe they didn’t want to say. 

          “Well it looks like we have the apartment to ourselves.  What do you want to do?”  Joshua asked.

          “I don’t know.  I guess I’m just glad its Friday.”  Samantha smiled. 

          “Yeah.  School’s almost over.”  He said.  An awkward silence ensued.  The two stood there staring at each other.

          “So I had a good time tonight.”  Samantha said breaking the silence a few minutes later. 

          “I did too.”  Joshua replied.  He came over and gave her a hug.  Samantha smiled and squeezed him.  The two separated and sat down on the couch.

          “Can I talk to you about something?”  She asked.

          “What’s on your mind?”  Joshua inquired although he had a pretty good idea. 

          “Will you come to all my soccer games this summer?”  Samantha wondered.

          “Of course I will.  Why wouldn’t I?”  Joshua seemed to be getting his signals crossed.

          “I just need to know that if my parents aren’t there for me, you will be.”  She answered.  There was the deeper thought that he had sensed.  However, he had no idea how to respond to that.  So instead of speaking he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close.  Joshua kissed the top of her head and she snuggled into his shoulder.  Both sighed and just sat together. 

          “You know, that we will always be the best of friends, no matter what is going on in our lives.  I would never let you down or hurt you.”  He said.

          “I know.  I want what we have to last forever.  Thank you for being here and keeping me together.”  Samantha answered.

          “Anything for you.”  Joshua told her.  “Anything for you.”  


	11. Chapter 11

**June 7, 2022 at 9:00 am**

          Sportacus lie awake in bed staring up at the ceiling.  It was late in the morning for him and he had no desire to get out of bed.  The above average hero looked over at Stephanie who, surprisingly, was still asleep. 

          Letting out a big sigh, Sportacus got up.  The plan he had come up with last night would hopefully draw the mobsters out but first he had to run it by Captain Dogooder.  After all he would be the main focus. 

          “Worried?”  Stephanie wondered as she rolled over toward the edge of the bed.

          “Did I wake you?”  He asked.

          “No, besides its time to get out of bed anyway.  But you are worried aren’t you?”  She inquired again.

          “A little.  I mean, how am I supposed to convince Captain Dogooder to go through with it?”  Sportacus seemed just more than a little nervous. 

          “I’m sure you’ll find a way.  I mean there always is one.”  Stephanie smiled.  She got up and came over to him.  Her long pink nightgown didn’t leave much to the imagination.  Sportacus’ eyes traced her body.  He pulled her close and looked into her dark brown eyes.  Her face lit up and he pressed his lips against hers.  Even after all these years, she still tasted like strawberries.  Separating, they put their foreheads together and smiled.

          “I love you.”  He said.

          “I love you, too.  Good luck today.  I’ll keep Joshua and Samantha busy.”  Stephanie promised.  Sportacus kissed her again and then he went into the bathroom.  Today would indeed be a big day.

* * *

Everyone gathered around the podium in LazyTown Square.  Mayor Meanswell stood up there trying to settle them down.  The eight-five year old man just wanted them to be quiet so Captain Dogooder could hold his conference.  Milford was glad that his replacement would be coming after next week’s emergency election.  Finally, the crowd settled down as the Police Chief stepped forward. 

          “Ladies and Gentlemen!  As you are all aware, the Bank of LazyTown has been robbed.  We are stepping up our police work but we need your help.  Anyone who has any information about the robbery should call the Police station.”  Captain Dogooder explained.

          As the Police Chief continued to talk to the crowd, Robbie sat on a tree branch at the edge of the square.  He lined up his target and took careful aim.  There was only one shot at this.  If he missed, it would be all over. 

* * *

          Amanda sat at home watching the TV.  She was incredibly nervous.  The phone rang and she practically jumped out of her skin.  Quickly, she picked it up.

          “I just thought I’d tell you one thing.”  It was Stephanie.

          “What?”  She asked.

          “Consociatus nos toleratus.  (United we stand).”  Was all her friend said before hanging up.  Amanda sighed.  She hoped that her friend was right.

* * *

Robbie could feel the sweat beading up on his palms as realigned with the target.  Only one thing crossed his mind as he pulled the trigger.  Fire in the hole.


	12. Chapter 12

What happened next shocked everyone.  Mayor Meanswell’s eyes went wide.  He couldn’t believe it.  In fact, his advisors ran over and covered him, as he was rushed from the scene.  They didn’t know if he was the intended target.  Mayor Meanswell was taken from the scene to a secure location; their main concern was that the eighty-five year old would have a heart attack.     

          Police officers and other emergency personnel rushed to the podium.  The TV cameras followed the whole thing.  Blood was everywhere.  Captain Dogooder was rushed to the hospital in FunTown.

          Robbie quickly climbed down the tree, leaving the gun in the maple’s branches.  While everyone attention was focused in the opposite direction, he ran for home.  Amanda would be anxious for him to get back as soon as he could.

          When Robbie arrived home, he had a surprise waiting for him.  Joe and his two cronies had already arrived at the ex-lair.

          “When we said for you to eliminate Captain Dogooder, we didn’t mean like that.”  Robbie couldn’t tell if the mobster was angry or annoyed. 

          “We did what you asked now leave us alone!”  The ex-villain raised his voice.

          “Funny, Mikey, I thought the note said to capture and kill Dogooder didn’t it?”  Joe asked the goon to his left.

          “I believe it did, boss.”  Mikey answered.

          “How do you want to handle it?”  The other goon asked.

          “I have an idea, Johnny.”  Joe smiled.  Robbie didn’t like the look on their faces.  He quickly nodded to Amanda, who busted out in a run for the tube.  The one called Mikey went after her. 

          Amanda looked over her shoulder as she began to climb up into the tube.  Suddenly, she felt something tugging on her shoe.  Looking down, she saw Mikey.  The ex-soccer player hauled back and kicked at him. 

          Her foot hit his right hand and he let go of the ladder.  Amanda didn’t look back as she continued to climb.  Finally, she reached the top and tried to force the lid off.  As she reached up, someone reached down.  Without knowing who it was, Amanda took the proffered hand. 

          Mikey was aggravated but he began to climb.  That woman was his when he caught up to her.  Reaching the top, the goon had a surprise waiting for him.

          “What is taking Mikey so long?”  Joe asked.

          “Don’t know boss.”  The goon answered.  Now the two began to talk and Robbie hoped this was his chance to escape as he turned and made a break for the side entrance.  However, he didn’t get far as he was grabbed from behind.

          “Oh no, you’re not going anywhere.  Your wife maybe got away from Mikey for a few seconds but you won’t leave here, alive.”  Joe said as Johnny pulled Robbie back toward the living room. 

          At that moment, the side entrance and the floor under the tube was filled with SWAT team members.  They quickly surrounded the mobsters and Robbie. 

          “FREEZE!”  The team leader shouted.  “You are all under arrest for the murder of Captain Dogooder!”  Johnny reached for his hidden 9mm but before he could pull it out a SWAT team member shot him.

          “Anyone else want to try something stupid?”  The team leader asked.  Immediately, Robbie and Joe stuck their hands in the air.  Two members of the team came over and cuffed them.  The two were read their rights and led from the ex-lair.                  


	13. Chapter 13

**June 7, 2022 at 1:00 pm**

          Amanda and Robbie sat in a cell in the basement of LazyTown Police Headquarters.  Luckily, Joe and his surviving goon, Mikey, were down the hall but the couple were still nervous about their chances.  Just then two police officers came down the hall and stopped in front of their cell.

          “Get up.”  One ordered.  Quickly, Robbie and Amanda obliged.  The two were removed from their prison and escorted upstairs.  They were split up and placed in separate interrogation rooms. 

          “Mister Rotten, I see that you are no stranger to the law.”  A detective sat across from him.

“No, I’m not but if you’ll notice I haven’t committed any crimes for a long time.  I’m not the man I used to be.  I have a wife and daughter now.”  Robbie said earnestly. 

          “I see that.  Too bad you dragged your wife into this mess.  She was an upstanding citizen until recently.”  The detective continued. 

          “Listen, if I could have I would have never involved her but I had no choice.”  Robbie defended himself.  The detective gave him a look and was about to open his mouth when the interrogation room door opened. 

          “Mister Rotten I’m sorry for this state of affairs but I’ve been retained as your legal counsel and I advise you to not say another word.”  A handsome man in a suit walked into the room.  Robbie turned as he recognized the voice but couldn’t believe whom he saw before him. 

* * *

In the scuffle that had followed the shooting, Stephanie had tried to grab Joshua and Samantha to pull them out of the way.  However, Samantha had seen her father jump from the tree and she followed him.  Joshua had chased after her but he had been knocked around by the crazy mob of people running for their lives. 

          Stephanie grabbed Joshua and pulled him away.  The two ran for cover behind the nearest park bench.  It was the safest place to be. 

          “Where is Sam?”  She asked.

          “I lost her in the crowd.  We have to find her.”  Joshua was obviously upset. 

          “We will but we have to wait until things clear up.”  Stephanie said.

          “No!  We have to go now!”  Joshua argued. 

          “Listen to me!  Everything will be fine!”  His mother raised her voice.  Joshua could feel that she was hiding something from him but he couldn’t tell what.  Both his parents had become good at blocking him from reading them. 

          Samantha followed him back home to the ex-lair.  She was far enough behind to watch a strange man pull him inside.  The ten year old didn’t know what to do so she ran to the nearest tree and climbed up into it to avoid being seen.  Samantha was only up in the tree a few minutes when she saw police officers empty out of a van that read SWAT.  She watched as her parents and two strange men were led from their home.  Tears reached her eyes.  What had her parents done?  Samantha climbed down from the tree and ran toward Joshua’s apartment. 

* * *

          “Detective Webster meet Mr. Goodbody, Attorney at Law.”  His lieutenant introduced the two. 

          “Well just when things were getting interesting.”  Webster smiled.  He shook hands with the lawyer and winked. 

          “Thank you, Detective.  I’ll be collecting my other client and then heading to the courthouse.  We have a meeting with the FBI’s Special Prosecutor.”  Mr. Goodbody said.

          “Very good.  I’ll have the paperwork filed.”  The lieutenant smiled.  The police officers left the room and Robbie stood up. 

          “Mr. Goodbody?  A little full of ourselves aren’t we?”  The ex-villain smirked. 

          “You’re welcome, Robbie.  Come on, we’d better get Amanda and head over to the court house.”  Sportacus smiled.

          “I must say though, you look good in a suit.”  Robbie told him.

          “That’s what Stephanie said.”  The above average hero replied.

          “Before or after she took this one off?”  That question got Robbie a punch in the arm and the two left the interrogation room.  Amanda joined them and they made their walk to the courthouse. 


	14. Chapter 14

Samantha ran past the park bench and felt someone grab her arm she turned and started to hit the person.  He took hold of her fists and she looked up to see that it was Joshua.  The girl immediately wrapped her arms around him.

          “What happened?”  Joshua asked. 

          “Mom…Dad…they…”  Samantha couldn’t get the words out but her friend felt something bad had happened.

          “Come on, kids let’s go home.”  Stephanie said.  She pulled them along.  Joshua had Samantha wrap her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.  He carried her back to the apartment. 

* * *

“Sportacus has told of me of the deal that is in place.  You give us Joe and his goons and we’ll give you full immunity.”  FBI Special Prosecutor Brett Johnson said.

          “Yes.”  Robbie and Amanda both replied.

          “You will have to testify at trial.”  Johnson told them.  Amanda looked at Robbie.  She wasn’t sure if that was safe.  Sportacus caught that look and nodded to the Special Prosecutor.

          “Don’t worry.  I’ve been informed that their entire crew has been rounded up and that the Gotham’s FBI Special Prosecutor wants a crack at them when we’re done.  They’ll be going away for a long time.  Plus we are going to argue for a closed courtroom so your identities won’t be common knowledge.”  Johnson promised.  Robbie took hold of Amanda’s hand and gave it a squeeze. 

          “We’ll do it.”  He answered. 

          “Good.”  The Special Prosecutor turned to the door and said, “You can come in now.”  Captain Dogooder walked into the room.  Robbie, Sportacus, and Amanda stood up.  They shook hands and exchanged greetings.

          “The charges here will be modified to conspiracy to commit murder and grand larceny, for the bags of money that we found labeled Bank of LazyTown at their hideout.”  Johnson said. 

          “Are you going to instruct the press as to what’s going on?”  Dogooder wondered.

          “Today, around five o’clock, I will announce you that you are indeed alive and that the criminals behind the attack are in custody.”  The Special Prosecutor told him. 

          “Can we go home?”  Amanda asked.  “I want to see Samantha.”

          “Yes.  We are going to have a protective detail covering your home, so you guys will be perfectly safe.”  Johnson assured her.  The meeting ended and everyone shook hands. 

          “We’ll meet here so I can prep you before you testify.”  Brett told them.  Robbie and Amanda nodded.  Sportacus walked with them out of the room and down the hall. 

          “I’m not sure if we should take Samantha back home just yet.  I mean things aren’t exactly back to normal and how do we explain everything to her?”  Robbie wondered.

          “Samantha is smart, I think she will understand.  I mean you guys are going to have highly trained FBI agents keeping you safe.”  Sportacus confidently told him.

          “Do you think she’ll forgive us for all we’ve done to her?”  Amanda asked.  A silence shrouded the three friends.  No one seemed to have an answer to that question.

* * *

          Joshua set Samantha down on the couch and promised he’d be right back.  His mother went down the hall and closed her bedroom door.  The sixteen year old charged down the hall.  He had to know what was going on. 

          Stephanie was on the phone with Sportacus when Joshua busted into the room.  The look on his face told her everything.  He was angry.

          “You _need_ to tell me what’s going on.  I can’t stand to see Samantha pull herself apart.”  Her son said forcefully. 

          “Put Joshua on the phone.”  Sportacus told Stephanie.  She handed the cell phone to Joshua. 

          “Son, things are very touch and go now.  I need you to calm down and when I get home your mother and I will explain everything to you, I promise.”  The firmness of the above average hero’s voice made Joshua feel only a little better. 

          “All right.”  He answered.  Handing the phone back to his mother Joshua left the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**June 7, 2022 at 5:00 pm**

          Samantha sat on the couch and waited for Joshua to come out of his parents’ bedroom.  They were obviously discussing something they didn’t want her to hear.  She turned on the TV to see if something would get her mind off what she had seen.

          “We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you an important announcement.”  The man on the TV said.

          “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m Brett Johnson, a Special Prosecutor from the FBI.  Earlier today Captain Dogooder was shot at in LazyTown Square.  He is alive and well and the people responsible have been captured.”  A member of the press interrupted him.

          “Will the offenders be punished in Federal Court?” 

          “Yes, and they will be punished to the full extend of the law.”  Johnson answered.

          “What exactly is Captain Dogooder’s condition?”  Another reporter asked.

          “Captain Dogooder is recovering quite well, that’s all I can tell you.”  The Special prosecutor danced around the question. 

          “What are the charges brought against these people and who are they?”  A different reporter asked. 

          “All I can tell you is that they are being charged with conspiracy to commit murder and grand larceny.”  Johnson answered.

          “Grand larceny?”  Someone shouted out.

          “The criminals were found to have bags of money with the words ‘Bank of LazyTown’ on them containing $900,000.”  Came the reply.  “That’s all for now.”  With that the FBI’s Special Prosecutor Brett Johnson stepped down from the podium and the press conference. 

          Samantha snapped off the TV.  She couldn’t believe her ears.  Quickly, she got up and raced down the hall.  The ten year old was going to throw open the door leading into Joshua’s parents’ room when she heard Joshua speak.

          “You can’t do this.  You have to tell her what’s going on.” 

          “We can’t until things calm down.  There are a lot of things at stake here.  You know that.”  It was Sportacus talking this time. 

          “So we’re just going to lie to her?”  Joshua argued. 

          “We don’t have a choice.”  Stephanie responded.  “You have to promise us.” 

          “I could never do that.”  The sixteen year old defied his parents.  Samantha smiled at the thought that Joshua was sticking up for her. 

          “When the time is right, we will tell her.”  Sportacus said firmly.  There was a period of silence.

          “All right.”  Joshua finally agreed.  Samantha was shocked to hear him consent to lying to her.  She heard someone move to the door and she quickly ducked into the bathroom.  Joshua slowly walked from the room and went into his own room. 

          Samantha slid down the bathroom cabinets and sat on the floor with her knees touching her cheeks.  She didn’t know what to do.  Joshua wouldn’t lie to her; he had promised.  She could feel tears starting to sting her eyes and she fought them.  There was only one way to resolve this matter and it wasn’t by crying.

          Slowly Samantha opened the bathroom door and walked across the hall to Joshua’s room.  She noticed that his parents’ door was still shut and they were talking in hushed tones.  Turning her attention back to Joshua, she knocked on the door.

          He opened the door and let her in.  It looked as if the sixteen year old wanted to say something but he didn’t move his lips.

          “Joshua…”  Samantha started however he didn’t let her finish. 

          “Don’t ask me.  Please don’t.  I can’t tell you anything.”  He pleaded with her.

          “I heard you promise.  Why?”  She asked him. 

          “I have no choice.  There is nothing to tell you.”  Joshua said.

          “Do you mean to tell me that you spent a half an hour with your parents and they didn’t tell you anything?  I watched my parents being led away by the cops.  No one will tell me what’s going on.  You promised your parents you would lie to me after you promised me you wouldn’t?  And now you won’t tell me anything.  What am I supposed to do?”  Samantha lashed out.

          “I…  I’m sor…”

          “Don’t.  I can’t take anymore of this.  Either tell me what is going on or don’t talk to me anymore.”  She delivered her ultimatum.  Samantha waited for Joshua to say something, anything, but he didn’t.  He just stood there staring at her.  She couldn’t believe it but it was obvious that he had made his decision.


	16. Chapter 16

**June 16, 2022 at 9:00 am**

          “All rise for the honorable Judge Goodman.  Court is now in session.”  The bailiff called out.  Everyone in the gallery rose as well as the lawyers and jury. 

          “You may be seated.”  Judge Goodman told them.  Robbie and Amanda took their seats, as did everyone else.  Both were nervous, today’s decision would be a huge factor in the rest of the trial.

          “It is my understanding that you want the courtroom closed during the upcoming trial, Mr. Johnson.”  The Judge said.

          “Yes sir.  It is for the safety of our witnesses.”  Special Prosecutor Johnson answered.

          “We again strongly object to this your honor.”  Joe and Mikey’s lawyer, Ima Slimebal said.

          “Your clients work for the mob.  I want the witnesses against them to be protected.”  Johnson argued.

          “Enough gentlemen.  I’m inclined to agree with Mr. Johnson.  I won’t have the prosecution's witnesses suddenly not able to testify therefore I’m granting your motion, Mr. Johnson.  Court will resume tomorrow at nine am.  All press and gallery members will not be allowed in.”  Judge Goodman delivered his decision and banged his gavel down.  Court was adjourned.  Robbie and Amanda squeezed each other.  That hurdle was gone and now all that was left was to testify.

* * *

          Samantha sat on the couch at Trixie and Stingy’s.  She had left Joshua and his parents shortly after Joshua had refused to say anything.  Trixie could tell that she was upset but she refused to talk about. 

          “Do you want some chocolate milk?”  Trixie called from the kitchen.

          “Yes, please.”  Samantha perked up at the mention of her favorite drink. 

          “Its MIIIINE!”  Stingy shouted fighting over the chocolate syrup with his wife. 

          “Stingy!”  Trixie smacked his hand.  Quickly, the greedy guy dropped the idea of keeping the syrup and found something else to posses. 

          “Here you go dear.”  Trixie smiled. 

          “Thanks.”  Samantha said.  Just then the telephone rang and Trixie got up to answer it.  Unfortunately, Stingy got there first. 

          “MIIINE!”  He shouted grabbing the receiver.  Trixie rolled her eyes and let him talk to whoever it was on the other end.  The look on his face told Trixie that the person hadn’t called for him.  Stingy handed his wife the phone.

          “Hi, Trixie?”  It was Amanda.

          “Its so good to hear from you.  How are you and Robbie holding up?” 

          “Ok, I guess.  How is Sam?”  The worried mother asked.

          “Well, she really wants to see you guys and keeps asking about you.  Its killing me that I can’t tell her everything.”  Trixie replied.

          “I’m sorry to have put you guys in the middle of this.  I feel horrible about her and Joshua.”  Amanda told her.

          “Yes, that is horrible but once this is all over you can tell her what was going on and then we might be able to patch up their friendship.”  Trixie sounded confident.

          “I hope your right.  Thanks a lot for taking care of her.  Do you think I could talk to her?”  Amanda wondered.

          “Its always a pleasure to have Sam over.  You guys have done a great job with her.  Let me get her for you.”  Trixie replied. 

          “Mom?”  A little voice came over the phone.

          “Sam?  How are you holding up?”  Amanda asked.

          “When are you guys coming home?  I miss you.”  Samantha wondered.

          “Oh I miss you too baby.  I promise we’ll all be together soon.”  Amanda tried to keep her emotions in check.  She and Robbie missed their daughter so much. 

          “Pinky swear?”  Samantha asked.

          “Pinky swear.”  Her mother promised.  “Now you be good and we’ll talk again soon.” 

          “I promise.  I love you.  Tell daddy I love him too.”  Samantha said.

          “I will.  I love you too.”  Amanda told her.  The phone call ended and Samantha returned to the couch and her chocolate milk.


	17. Chapter 17

**June 17, 2022 at 9:00 am**

          “The prosecution calls Robbie Rotten to the stand.”  Special Prosecutor Johnson announced.  Robbie slowly got up from his seat behind the prosecution’s table and walked to the witness stand.

          “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”  The bailiff asked.

          “I do.”  Robbie answered and he took his seat.

          “Please state your name and occupation for the record.”  The Judge asked.

          “Robert Rotten.  I’m an inventor.”  Judge Goodman nodded and allowed Special Prosecutor Johnson to take over.

          “Mr. Rotten is it true on the night of May fifteenth, 2022; some men approached you and your wife about robbing the Bank of LazyTown?” 

          “Yes, they forced their way in to our home and threatened to kill our daughter, Samantha.”  Robbie told him.

          “Did they say why they wanted you and your wife to do this?”  Brett asked.

          “They said my criminal past had attracted them to me and I would be the perfect guy to take the fall.”  Robbie replied.

          “So you robbed the bank didn’t you?”  Johnson questioned him.

          “Yes, my wife and I robbed the bank.  We had no choice.  They were going to kill Samantha.”  Emotion crept into Robbie’s voice.

          “And after that they wanted you to kill Captain Dogooder, isn’t that true?”  Johnson continued.

          “Yes.  They threatened that we should do that even though the original deal was to only rob the bank.”  Robbie answered.

          “How did they threaten you?”  Johnson asked.

          “One of them grabbed my throat at the other’s request and squeezed it.  It was only after my wife agreed to do it that they let go of me.”  Robbie said.

          “Which one grabbed you?”  Brett wondered.  Robbie pointed to Mikey.

          “That one.”

          “And who told him to?”  Robbie pointed at Joe.

          “The other one.” 

          “Let the record show that the witness pointed out the defendants.”  Johnson said.

          “So ordered.”  Judge Goodman nodded.

          “Thank you, Mister Rotten.  I have no further questions for this witness.”  Brett told the court.  Now it was Mr. Slimebal’s turn.

          “Mr. Rotten, you said that your criminal past is what supposedly drew my clients to your family.  What exactly were you convicted off?”

          “My first conviction was for assault.  My next conviction was for kidnapping and attempted murder.”  Robbie answered.

          “So the bank robbery would have been your third strike?  You were facing life in prison.”  Slimebal asked.

          “Yes.”  Was all Robbie answered.

          “The prosecutor gave you and your wife immunity in order for your testimony.  Naturally you just wanted someone else to blame for your crimes.”  Ima said.

          “Objection!  Is the defense going to ask a question?”  Brett wondered.     

          “Withdrawn.  Why didn’t you come to the police when my clients supposedly threatened you into robbing the bank?”  The defense attorney asked.

          “They were threatening to kill our daughter.  I couldn’t just let them do it.”  Robbie was beginning to get angry.

          “Did your wife actually hear my clients threaten you about your daughter?”  Silmebal asked.

          “No, not the first time.”  Robbie replied.

          “So all we have is your word.  The word of a convicted felon.”  Slimebal said.

          “Objection!”  Johnson shouted.

          “Withdrawn.  I have no further questions for this witness.”  Ima said.  Robbie was excused and he sat down next to Amanda.  Hopefully her testimony could show the judge that he wasn’t out for revenge.


	18. Chapter 18

**June 17, 2022 at 3:00 pm**

          Samantha sat outside in the warm summer sun.  She swung back and forth on the swings.  It seemed to be the only place that she could be by herself and think.

          Joshua had been calling her everyday trying to get her to talk to him but she had refused.  He had hurt her and she wasn’t sure what to do or even how she felt.  Betrayal, anger, and heartache filled her entire being.  She had been there for him when his father was hurt and she felt that he owed her at least that much.

          “Samantha.”  She didn’t need to lift her head to know who it was.

_Did I disappoint you or let you down?  Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?  'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,_

          “What do you want?”  The ten year old snapped.

_Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.  So I took what's mine by eternal right.  Took your soul out into the night._

          “I want to talk to you.”  Joshua said.

_It may be over but it won't stop there, I am here for you if you'd only care.  You touched my heart you touched my soul._

          Samantha didn’t say anything as he took the swing next to her. 

_You changed my life and all my goals.  And love is blind and that I knew when, My heart was blinded by you._

          “I want to explain what happened.”  Joshua told her.

_I've kissed your lips and held your head.  Shared your dreams and shared your bed.  I know you well, I know your smell.  I've been addicted to you._

          “You’d better have a good reason to lie to me.”  Samantha said as anger crept into her voice.

_Goodbye my lover.  Goodbye my friend.  You have been the one.  You have been the one for me._

          “I didn’t have a choice.  I…”  he didn’t get to finish.

_I am a dreamer but when I wake, You can't break my spirit - it's my dreams you take. And as you move on, remember me,  
_

          “You didn’t have a choice!  Bull shit!”  Samantha’s anger grew.  “You’re still lying to me!”

_Remember us and all we used to be I've seen you cry, I've seen you smile.  I've watched you sleeping for a while._

          “God, Samantha.  Don’t you understand?  I don’t want to hurt you.”  Joshua tried to explain.

_I'd spend a lifetime with you.  I know your fears and you know mine.  We've had our doubts but now we're fine, And I love you, I swear that's true.  I cannot live without you._

          “No, I don’t understand.  I thought you cared for me.  But obviously I was wrong.”  Samantha spat.

_Goodbye my lover.  Goodbye my friend.  You have been the one.  You have been the one for me._

          “I do care for you.  It’s because I care that I can’t say anything.  I can’t say anything because I don’t know anything.”  Joshua tried to make her understand.

_And I still hold your hand in mine.  In mine when I'm asleep.  And I will bear my soul in time,_ _When I'm kneeling at your feet._

          “You can’t expect me to believe that.  Goodbye Joshua.”  Samantha left her swing and stormed off.

_Goodbye my lover.  Goodbye my friend.  You have been the one.  You have been the one for me._

          Joshua wasn’t sure if he should follow her.  He just watched as she walked away. 

_I'm so hollow, baby, I'm so hollow.  I'm so, I'm so, I'm so hollow._  

**June 25, 2022 at 4:00 pm**

          “Will the defendants please rise?”  Judge Goodman asked.  Joe, Mikey, and their attorney stood.

          “Madame Forewoman, have you reached a verdict?”  The Judge asked as the bailiff returned the verdict to her.

          “We have your honor.”

“On the first charge of the indictment, conspiracy to commit murder, how do you find?”  Judge Goodman asked

“We find the defendants Joe Boscirelli and Mikey Esposito guilty.”

“And as to the second charge of the indictment, grand larceny, how do you find?” 

“We find the defendants guilty.”

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the court thanks you for your time, you are dismissed.  As to the defendants, it is my understanding that Gotham’s FBI Special Prosecutor has filed for extradition.”  Judge Goodman said.

“Yes, Judge.  We are willing to set aside their sentence until Gotham is done with them.”  Johnson answered.

“Then I hereby order the defendants to be transferred to Gotham, immediately.  Court is adjourned.”  The gavel struck and Joe and Mikey were hauled away by the court officers. 

“It's over.”  Amanda sighed. 

“Yes it is.”  Robbie wrapped his arms around her. 

“I love you.”  She said returning his hug.

          “I love you, too.  Lets go pick up Samantha.”  Robbie said.

          “I want to thank you both.”  Special Prosecutor Johnson said.

          “No problem sir.  It was the right thing to do.  Now if you’ll excuse us.”  Robbie smiled.

          “Of course.  Goodbye.”  Johnson smiled back.  The couple returned the goodbye and headed out of the courthouse.  Now it was time to patch things up with their daughter.

**The End…** _  
_


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